Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area
Tai'an Township
· Nature & Scenery
Embrace giant sacred trees amid rolling mist, admire the snowy-white bloom of Taiwan’s largest Formosan mountain cherry display in spring, take in the majestic silhouette of the Syue Mountain Range’s Sacred Ridge Line from above, and you may even encounter rare national treasures. This is Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area, a richly rewarding mist-forest experience on the border of Hsinchu and Miaoli. About two hours from Zhudong, its Atayal name is “Mawuyli,” meaning “higher mountain ridge.” The area became a logging forest in 1940 and closed in 1980, leaving behind orderly planted forests across the mountains. Along the Chih Mountain Giant Trees Trail, five towering Taiwan red cypress trees still tell the story of Taiwan’s former forest grandeur. Guanwu is also known for its wildlife, including the Mikado pheasant and sambar deer seen along the forest roads, as well as the world’s only Deinmua balsam and two Taiwan endemic treasures: the broad-tailed swallowtail and the Guanwu salamander named after Guanwu itself. The Dalu Forest Road branches here: the eastern route leads toward Dabajianshan, while the western route connects to the park’s highest peak, Jianshan, offering sweeping views shaped by the Sacred Ridge Line of the Syue Mountain Range.
